Litcadia
Rate this

Nettle & Bone

T. Kingfisher

4.51

An Instant USA Today & Indie Bestseller

An Oprah Daily Top 25 Fantasy Book of 2022

A Vulture Best Fantasy Novel of 2022

An NPR Best Sci Fi, Fantasy, & Speculative Fiction Book of 2022

A Goodreads Best Fantasy Choice Award Nominee

From Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes an original and subversive fantasy adventure.

*The very special hardcover edition features a gold foil stamp on the casing and custom endpapers illustrated by the author.*

This isn't the kind of fairy tale where the princess marries a prince.

It's the one where she kills him.

Marra — a shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter — is relieved not to be married off for the sake of her parents’ throne. Her older sister wasn’t so fortunate though, and her royal husband is as abusive as he is powerful. From the safety of the convent, Marra wonders who will come to her sister’s rescue and put a stop to this. But after years of watching their families and kingdoms pretend all is well, Marra realizes if any hero is coming, it will have to be Marra herself.

If Marra can complete three impossible tasks, a witch will grant her the tools she needs. But, as is the way in stories of princes and the impossible, these tasks are only the beginning of Marra’s strange and enchanting journey to save her sister and topple a throne.

“Wholly entertaining."—Buzzfeed

“A modern classic.”—Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of Every Heart A Doorway

“Pure delight. T. Kingfisher uses the bones of fairy tale to create something entirely her own.”—Emily Tesh, award-winning author of Silver in the Wood

Also by T. Kingfisher

Thornhedge

A Sorceress Comes to Call

What Moves the Dead

What Feasts at Night

A House with Good Bones

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Fairy TalesMythologyFictionScience FictionFantasyAdult
Pages
319
First published
April 26, 2022
Language
English
Edition
Ebook

More editions

▾

Pick a cover to preview.

Shelved by 19 Litcadians

Reviews

  • Finished April 28, 2024

  • Started May 27, 2026 · Finished June 5, 2026 · Read 2 times

  • Finished October 12, 2024

  • Finished October 7, 2024

    3/5 ⭐ 0/5 🌶️ Tropes: -Found family -Reluctant allies -Witty banter 📖 My Thoughts This is my second T. Kingfisher book and I really want to like her more than I’m finding I do. Her writing is enjoyable, but I don’t know, something isn’t quite catching for me. These characters are all above 30 yet their inner monologue feels very young. The author can’t seem to choose between dark or lighthearted, and the subject matter is quite dark in itself. It’s hard for me to take the book seriously when it’s all very quirky. However, it seems that this is just her writing style and I can respect that because it’s quite unique. ⚠️ Triggers Some of the triggers include violence, domestic violence, emotional and physical abuse, necromancy, desecration of graves and bones, miscarriage and child loss.

  • adventurousdarkemotionalhopefulinspiringmysteriousMedium-paced

    Started November 23, 2025 · Finished November 28, 2025

  • Started September 3, 2025 · Finished September 8, 2025

  • Finished March 3, 2025

  • Finished September 13, 2025

    4.5 ⭐ rounded up!

  • Started October 26, 2023 · Finished October 26, 2023

  • Finished January 7, 2024

▸ Did not finish (2)

Loading…